My first handling session

My first handling session with A'Kashja will be tonight. I've had her since Sept 22 and she's feed 2 times consecutively. I have her in her own room and it is dark most of the time. She's only been out of the cage 1 time since then and that was for a cleaning. She seem comfortable in the Animal Plastics T-3 as it is filled with 8 hides and water bowl. She comes out at night and either basks on her driftwood or on top of her corner log hides. When I took her out for cleaning she seems easy going to come out of her cage but very nervous and afraid once out. She doesn't hiss or attempt to bite, but the fact that she's so scared actually makes me nervous. You can even see the change in her breathing as it increases quite a bit so I know she's nervous. She's extremely head shy and any fast movement or movement near her head and she flinches. Adam let me know that I just have to work with her and we have to build up trust between one another.

Anyone else experience this? Any advice anyone can offer on helping to calm her?

I'm sponge so any and all responses will be appreciated.

Thanks.

That all sounds normal. Ledora was very flinchy the first time and any fast movement near her she flinched. I have seen an increase in breathing too when I handle her, but its gotten better. Just after 4 sessions shes become way better. Shes started to curl up in my hand and is a lot less flinchy.

Yep sound totaly normal, with calming its all a matter of time each snake will be different in the length of time it takes. Slow and steady in the way to work with snakes.

I'm sure it'll go nicely Bryce. I can relate though as when I'm handling either Saoirse, who is very scared yet or Brannagh, who isn't scared and would prefer to chew on me a bit, I'm more nervous than I like being.

I really feel they pick this up from the handler. Either in a smell we release when we are nervous or our breathing rate or whatever, but I know when I'm more nervous, they seem to react to it. What I'm doing lately with these two is to set up a very stringent routine so that we only handle them when the house is very quiet and we are not in any sort of rush. I make sure I've got gloves on with Bran so I don't have to worry more than I should about a hard bite. I try to be aware of my own anxiety and make sure I'm very relaxed.

Whether everyone thinks this is wierd or not, I try to visual a nice handling session and send out those vibes, as well as just talking soothingly to the snake (and likely to myself LOL). I just make sure I'm sitting so if they dart off, I can't possibly drop them and put them back after a short time so it's a success for both of us. I try to make sure that coming out of their enclosure and going back in are nice and not a struggle for me or the snake.

Let us know how it goes.


~~Jo~~

bg1906, this sounds like me almost exaclty. My 2 1/2' female bp is the same way. She has actually struck a few times when she got really startled and hissed maybe twice. Everytime she got nervous about fast movements.

Recently my girlfriend and I have been handling her almost daily, its only been a week now but are putting in a lot of effort to calm her down, and its worked. A couple of nights ago was the first time we could actually take her out of her cage w/o her balling up on us. Normally we have to sit there and wait for her to calm down and physically work her out of her ball.

A strategy we use to work her out of her ball, and maybe you could use just to calm her down is slow, gentle stroking with your pointer finger. I just rub my pointer finger along the middle part of her body very slowly and gently. Its actually really cool to see her as she flexes that part of her body as your worked toward her tail. With each touch she moves a little bit. And when she moves a little bit you can kind of work her into a less tense and more open position. And finally she starts "crusin" as we say. She'll start crawling all over the place, and she is not longer afraid.

Like I said the other night was the first time we could skip the whole ball thing, and go directly to "cruisin" So hopefully this will keep up. And give it a try with yours.

Bryce,


Kashmire was also very head shy when I got him, but I sit down with him and pretty much set him on my belly and let him explore me, picking up my scent. I would lightly stroke him on his side.

I also worked when I was holding him in one hand to slowly approach his head with my other hand, and now he does not flinch from it. In fact, he likes to duck his head under my cupped free hand and go through that hand like a tunnel.

Now it takes a super fast, non-thought out move by me to get him to flinch from my hands.

Kashmire has never balled up for me either (no cool balled up pictures as a result, not that I'm complaining....well maybe a little, but only for the photo opportunity! LOL).

I'm sure that your handling session will go great! We want to hear how it went!

This is for rabernet

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil.../9/8/ball2.jpg

/Agree


Out of all our balls there is only one which is not headshy - and that was learned accidentally. They really tend towards headshyness and arent going to get much out of headrubs or tickling them under the chin or anything so I just tend to leave their heads be.

Thanks Griggs! :mad:


Just kidding! Great picture! You should submit it in the BPOM! I don't think I'll ever have a pic like that of Kash. But hey, I'll take the relaxed boy that I have!

Glad to hear she is settling in fine :D

My new little girl is a hisser :) She arrived from Adam on the 20th. She got an extended settling in period because she went into shed right after her second feeding, then got her third feeding when she was done shedding....so tonight will most likely be my first night handling too :)

We have the wierdest ball I think. Rionach isn't just NOT headshy, when we are handling her she will go out of her way to hook her chin on a finger to get her "chin" rubbed. It's just plain wierd LOL. Orlah as well is not at all headshy but the other 3 are to some degree or other.


~~Jo~~

I think your experiences are perfectly normal as everyone else ahs already chimed in.
Monty was very very skittish the first few times we handled him (and so was I!!). He even hissed at first. These days he is much calmer and I was suprised by how quickly he adapted. He is still headshy and probably always will be and he does jerk back to sudden movements near his head but so would I if I was his size!

Well Monty is a hoot if you ask me, when I first got him he balled up like crazy for the first few handling seccions and now, its hard to get him to ball up, he will only ball up if I scare the crap outa him when he is sleeping under a hide, but otherwise he wont ball up. He used to be headshy but I have worked most of it out by doing exactly what he is scared of, moving near or around his head and touching his head. He now is only a little irritated if I move fastly around his head and such (like any of us would by instinct.) So pretty much its a thing that you have to work out of their head that your not going to eat them, and take those instincts that all things bigger than them that doesnt smell like a mouse is somthing thats going to eat them. Hope I was of some help, thats my 3 cents.

Hey Bryce, how'd the handling session go? I hope all went well!

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Originally Posted by tigerlily

Hey Bryce, how'd the handling session go? I hope all went well!

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I just finished. She hissed twice coming out as she was under her hide and I had to take her out. When she hissed I gloved 1 hand and let the other free. I used a combo of the Pro Exotics Glove Technique (http://www.proexotics.com/faq_images...nique_demo.jpg) and Adam's water bottle technique to calm her. Once I got her out, I sat down and just held her and let her explore. I stroked her and talked to her (which was more to calm me) and stroked her neck and even head a few times. She was still jumpy but she settled pretty good. The 15 mins went fast, but after a little while her breathing regulated and she was good old curious A'Kashja. It was the first time she'd ever hissed at me, but I take it that that was because she was in hiding and I disturbed that. During cleaning times she was already out so she never hissed although nervous. She was tense at times but she also relaxed at times. For a 1st session, I'd give it a B. Hopefully as we do this daily she'll grow to know I mean her no harm and we'll learn to trust each other. She didn't attempt to bite but she did jerk back a few times in fear of my hands. I put her back in her enclosure without a problem and she just sat underneath her driftwood and didn't move. I put her favorite hide back in, turned out all the lights and left. I'll check on her b4 bed and leave her be until tomorrows session. As my confidence grows and as she learns I mean her no harm, I'll ditch the glove. But for know if she hisses, I'll just use it as it gives me a bit more confidence.

I was wondering how it went, and I'm glad you both made it through it. It sounds like you both did wonderfully. :clap: Pretty soon you'll both be old pros! :D

Water bottle technique? Don't think I've heard of that trick yet?

Glad to hear it went well for both of you!

Wonder how Daniel's handling session went?


~~Jo~~

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Wonder how Daniel's handling session went?

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Went great....did not even hiss when I reached in this time :)

Oh glad to hear that Daniel! Wish dear Bran the Brat would at least hiss and give me a bit of warning she's going to try a jab at us but Bran plays by her own rules LOL.

Actually, oddly enough I admire that snake with her more difficult nature and don't mind terribly that she's a bit hard to handle. It's actually good for Mike and I to have to learn to always be on our toes when dealing with any snake, especially a larger female. I think we'd gotta a bit lazy with all our other girls being so easy to handle (even Saoirse the WC never tries to bite).


~~Joanna~~

Just finished my 2nd session and we both improved. She didn't hiss and didn't seem afraid at all. Just curious. I started with the 1 glove to see if she'd hiss, but no. So about mid session I ditched and went bare hands. Big step for us both and it was GREAT! We both made it and she's fine and so am I. Can't wait until tomorrow's session...another day, another adventure!

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Water bottle technique? Don't think I've heard of that trick yet?



~~Jo~~

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I too seek enlightenment re: the water bottle technique....Oh mighty wise-one, please share your generous wisdom with these poor, unworthy souls! :P *BAG*

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Thanks Griggs! :mad:


Just kidding! Great picture! You should submit it in the BPOM! I don't think I'll ever have a pic like that of Kash. But hey, I'll take the relaxed boy that I have!

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=)

Yea, at first I wished mine was relaxed more, but I'm gaining some confidence as she slowly is becoming more relaxed.

I'm also curious about this water bottle trick.

Well tonight it was time for handling session #3. No incidents! No hisses and no nervousness even! Guess what...EVEN MY WIFE HELD HER! She said her fear on a scale of 1-10 was at a 7, but she still braved it out (with her gloves on) and still did it! MAJOR ACCOMPLISHEMENT! A'Kashja is settling in fine and I'm so happy. Everyone's tips and Adam's massive amount of knowledge is really paying off. I'm loving this ball python thing! Its very rewarding when you see them thrive and become accustomed to human contact without fearing fearful and realizing that you mean them no harm.

I'm stoked!!!!

That's awesome Bryce! :clap: Glad to hear things are coming along so well, this quickly. :D

Keep it up Bryce, it'll be second nature to the both of you pretty soon!